WWE News: King Corbin discusses the initial backlash to his change of character
When he initially debuted on the main roster, Baron Corbin kept the same look of the Lone Wolf that he had in NXT. He went through a big physical change when he shaved off his hair and changed his ring attire from a tee shirt and pants to a more executive-looking vest and long undershirt.
He spoke about the backlash he received from fans during an interview with Digital Spy. 411Mania.com carried transcripts of Corbin's interview.
Looks can change
Changing up a Superstar's look can either really help their chances of advancing or hurt it. Bray Wyatt ditched his prior look for the new persona of the Fiend. It has instantly clicked with the WWE Universe due to its uniqueness in the sea of WWE characters.
Corbin ditched his long hair and metal tee shirts some time ago. In that time, he's become one of the top heels on RAW. The change was mainly visual but Corbin revealed that it actually helped him find his voice as a slightly new character.
“For me, it was the best thing I could have done. I think it gave people an opportunity to hear me, it gave me an opportunity to kind of find my own way with the microphone. When I was just that kind of angry metal biker it was something that maybe not everyone could connect to, good or bad. People enjoyed the look and thought I was cool, but when I got the microphone and got to go, I got a chance for people to really hate me and that’s hard to do nowadays."
The change in appearance also led to a tweak in his character. He even netted a position of power on RAW last year as the Constable of the Red Brand. Had he not gone through a physical change, then he might not have risen to being one of the best heels in the WWE.
"You always have a fear of overexposure and I think it was the right amount for me to really get under people’s skin, so I think it was done perfectly and it just really helped me to grow as a character."
"Now I’m not worried if they give me a long promo, I know I can do it because I opened RAWs with segment-long promos. I think they just threw me in the fire to see what I can do and I think I crushed it. Now I’m much more confident with everything I’m doing because I hadn’t really done anything like that before.”
Changes could lead to more opportunities
Another person who recently undergone a change of character is Bayley. She hasn't really changed anything visually about her character. Her actions of attacking people like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair make her a heel but her look has remained the same. Perhaps an alteration could help the Hugger going forward just as it helped Corbin.
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